Spike TV: UFC 119 Prelims Score 1.3 Million Viewers

The UFC bounced back on Saturday with its “UFC 119 Prelims” special
on Spike TV. The live hour of preliminary bouts from the Conseco
Fieldhouse in Indianapolis earned an average of 1.3 million
viewers, a marked increase from the 1.1 million who tuned in for
UFC 118’s prelims in August.

The special, which immediately preceded the UFC
119 pay-per-view, also drew a 0.9 household rating. This figure
showed improvement over UFC 118’s household rating of 0.83. In the
coveted 18-to-34 demographic, the program earned a 1.3 rating,
while it scored a 1.2 with viewers aged 18 to 49.

The program’s viewership swelled and diminished throughout the hour
of preliminary bouts. About 1.2 million viewers tuned in for the
first quarter hour, and that number increased to 1.36 million for
the second 15 minutes. For the second half hour, however, the show
attracted 1.3 million and 1.2 million viewers, respectively.

The “UFC Prelims” special showcased two live bouts. In the first
fight, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 alum Matt
“Meathead” Mitrione took a hard-fought unanimous decision over
Joey
Beltran. Then, former Arizona State University wrestling
standout C.B.
Dollaway submitted Joe Doerksen
with a highlight-worthy guillotine choke.

Despite the boost from UFC 118, the prelim rating was still nowhere
near the largest the UFC has posted this year. That distinction
belongs to February’s UFC 109 prelims, which attracted 1.7 million
viewers.